Development of a PC game to support expiratory muscle training

Abstract

Expiratory muscle training, a part of respiratory rehabilitation, has been shown to increase maximal expiratory pressure and contribute to improved respiratory function, ventilatory function, and exercise capacity, but some people have difficulty maintaining the motivation to continue. In this study, a PC game was created as an attempt to help people continue training. The exhalation rate blown into a pipe, which is compared to a fire starter, is detected by a sensor and a microcontroller, and animated feedback is provided in the fire-starting and water-heating tasks of the game developed in Unity.